CRP and pneumococcal infection: Unlike passively administered WT CRP, both E-CRP-1 and E-CRP-2 protected mice against infection even when E-CRP was administered 12 h after administering pneumococci, indicating that a conformationally altered form of CRP that can bind to immobilized factor H is required for CRP-mediated protection of mice against late-stage pneumococcal infection (1, 21).